How to Pull Off The Perfect Marriage Proposal

I thought I would present you all with an infographic on a subject I am well versed in. Just kidding, I am a young, unmarried man who’s never even thought about proposal. Regardless, this infographic will prepare me for my future years should a proposal situation arise. I think the hardest part will be keeping my awesome proposal plan a secret when the time comes. After all, fifty percent of men say it’s the biggest proposal bust.

The actual information in the infographic was not the main reason this caught my attention. The topic in particular has been a trend I’ve noticed on the internet. When using StumbleUpon, it seems like every day without fail I come across another video of someone’s proposal. It’s almost as if there is a competition for the most amazing proposal viral video. I have to say some of them are really cool, but they fact that they all go viral means I can’t steal their ideas. What’s your favorite proposal video? Here’s mine (Warning: Contains mild violence) [Via]

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Infographic Posters For Your Favorite Room

After hours of staring at visuals on the web, it’d be nice to have a few pieces to look at on the wall. Decorate your room, fill up that blank wall, or just put up a handy guide for regular consumption. We’ve found a few interesting infographic posters that’ll spice up your wall!

*Please note if purchased through here, we may receive a small trickle of affiliate commission(at no extra cost to you) to help support Daily Infographic. Thanks!

Kids are like sponges, sopping up the information all around them. This poster is a fun and savvy introduction to both animals and professions! The Wolf Web Designer? Right on! You can even tell your kids this was printed with vegetable ink.

How To Learn Something New Everyday In 15 Minutes (Or Less)

As children we were encouraged to learn something new every day. We did experiments at school, took part in extra-curricular activities, and joined cultural and activist groups during our college years.

Then something happened:

Adulthood.

We went from being curious children to adults dedicated to a 9-5 job (which the majority of us find unrewarding), adopting routines that rarely ever change.

Benedict Carey, author of the book How We Learn, says that routine limits our brain’s ability to learn new skills and knowledge. This is worrisome because learning new things is important for our happiness.

Why Learning New Things Is Crucial for Happiness

You may have heard that the “brain is like a muscle.” Just like other muscles, you have to exercise the brain by learning new things. Yes, there is ample research which shows that learning helps build neuron connections and can stave off diseases like Parkinson’s. But there is a lot more to learning new things than just making the brain stronger. The act of learning actually makes us happier.

As Belle Beth Cooper writes about in her post on “Why New Things Make Us Feel So Good”, there is a section in the brain known as the SN/VTA.

The SN/VTA part of the brain is linked to the learning and memory parts, but it is best known as the “novelty center” because it lights up when exposed to new stimuli. You experience a rush of dopamine, which is one of the chemicals that motivates us towards rewards.

Here is what happens:

You experience something new.

The “novelty center” of your brain is activated.

You get a rush of dopamine.

Dopamine motivates you to follow through with the new thing.

You get another rush of dopamine when you finish the activity.

It is no surprise then that research has found dopamine is closely linked to the learning process. In short, learning new things stimulates happiness chemicals brain.

Other Benefits of Learning Something New

Learning Makes You More Interesting to Others: You’ll always have something to talk about at parties.

Can Relate to More People: The more you know, the more likely you are to find something in common with others. Empathy also helps bridge gaps in communication.

Builds Self-Esteem: Practice makes perfect, and when we see ourselves mastering new knowledge and skills, we build self-efficacy. Self efficacy is our own faith that we can succeed at a given task, which closely overlaps with self-esteem and confidence.

You’ll Make More Friends: Because of the benefits of learning listed above, you’ll find it easier to meet people and make friends. Social interactions are essential for our happiness, so learning really does pay off in the long run!

Sets a Good Example: If you want your kids and loved ones to reap the same benefits of learning, lead by example!

Earn More Money: Depending on what you learn, you might build both technical or soft skills to advance your career.

Find a More Rewarding Career: It isn’t money which motivates us –having a sense of purpose motivates. Learning new skills makes you better-rounded so you can more easily find what you love to do.

Empowering: Learning gives you the information you need to make better informed decisions in life.

You’ll Learn Easier and Faster: The more you practice learning, the denser the myelin white matter of your brain becomes and the stronger your neural pathways become.

How to Learn Something New Right Now

Learning can be broken down into short-term and long-term learning. If you don’t necessarily want to embark on a big endeavor (such as learning to play an instrument), your brain can still benefit from learning smaller bits of information on a daily basis. Here are some ways to do that.

No brainer right? Humans process visuals quickly: It takes less than 1/10 of a second for your brain to get a sense of a visual. Absorbing new information using infographics is a quick and easy way to learn. Visual learning not only decreases comprehension time, but sticks around longer in our memories. On Daily Infographic you can spend 15 minutes per day perusing an infographic on a topic of your choice.

Ted Talks are famous for bringing a huge amount of topics by innovative thinkers. Ted Ed takes learning a step further with engaging video lessons. Topics range from “the scientific way to cut a cake” to “how money laundering works.”

Americans are notoriously bad at geography, but the rest of the world probably isn’t too much better. The game GeoGuessr takes a unique approach to learning geography. You are shown a Google Maps photo and have to guess where it is. You might just find yourself saying things like, “Huh, I didn’t know that Afghanistan has such green forests!” It’s free to play.

Curiosity is a website which inspires people to get smarter. They do it by finding the most interesting news on a variety of topics. Just click what topic you are interested in learning about and you’ll find fascinating articles and videos.

Ways to Learn a Skill

Ready to take on a bigger challenge? Learning new skills that require a longer-term commitment can be even more rewarding and stimulating for the brain. Every day, you build on what you learned the day before until you reach a level of mastery. Here are just some ideas of things you can start learning and where to start.

First aid is something that everyone should know and refresh regularly. The American Red Cross has come up with a great app to help. It isn’t a substitute for an in-person course, but it does have bite-size courses on basics accompanied by videos and instructions.

8. Learn a New Language with Duolingo

Duolingo is an app which makes it easy to learn a new language thanks to its interactive method and how it breaks down lessons into small chunks. There are dozens of languages to choose from and the app is free to use!

Writing is fundamental cornerstone of communication and remains one of the most in-demand skills that employers look for. The app 750 Words helps you become a better writer by having you write a minimum of 750 words of stream of conscious writing per day – a practice which is said to improve writing fluency and also help you learn about yourself in the process.

Udacity is one of the most popular places to learn coding for free. They have videos, quizzes, and instructions so you can earn a “Nanodegree.” The courses are made by expert programmers and big companies like Google so they are definitely relevant to today’s job market and tech trends.

A large vocabulary is not only impressive, but it allows you to express yourself better. Remember the book 1984 and how they started cutting words from the language as a form of mind control? Well, that’s the power of vocab! The website Vocabulary.com has come up with an adaptive learning game to help you learn more words easily.

All small business owners and entrepreneurs need to know digital marketing techniques if they are going to stay relevant. Created by Google, Primer teaches marketing skills and delivers them in digestible 5-minute segments.

Coursera is one of the best places to find free online courses in higher education on just about any topic. The courses are offered by top universities in the US, helping you to extend your education from the comforts of your own home. Certificates are available for a fee. As an alternative, Iversity.org provides development courses from experts all over Europe. usually on very specific topics.

Today’s top companies aren’t just looking for skills like coding. They want people with soft skills like leadership, team management, creativity, and decision-making. MindTools has a great collection of mini courses which teach you these skills.

Gratitude is key for happiness in life. What a lot of people don’t realize is that gratitude actually has to be learned and worked on. The app Mojo helps you rewire your brain to be more grateful by encouraging you to write at least five good things per day, rate the day, and add photos.

Why 15 Minutes a Day?

It doesn’t have to be 15 minutes a day that you dedicate to learning something new. It could be 30 minutes, one hour, or even as little as 5 minutes per day. What matters is that you:

Dedicate a specific amount of time daily for learning new things.

Hold yourself accountable.

The reason the time-frame unit is so important is because people are more likely to stay motivated and succeed if they break goals into smaller units.

Implement What You’ve Learned!

Using these tools to learn something new every day is a great start. But the reality is that we are already bombarded with information on a daily basis.

How much?

According to Niklas Goeke, we consume 74.92 gigabytes of data every day. That’s enough to fill 9 DVDs with data – or 74 pickup trucks filled with paper!

All of the information we consume isn’t helping us achieve happiness or wellbeing in life. Instead, excessive info consumption drains us and fries our brains.

Of course, most of this info consumption is done during our (brain-killing) routines. Simply by breaking routine and making a point to learn new things is going to help you retain and utilize the info better.

But, to really reap the life-changing benefits of learning new things, follow this one important tip:

Share what you’ve learned with others.

It can be on a daily learning blog. Or on social media. Or just make a point to tell your spouse what you’ve learned that day while you eat dinner together.

What Is an Infographic? The History and Evolution of Data Visualization

Whether you work in marketing, research, education, or the non-profit sector, infographics are likely a part of your everyday life. Even if your sector hasn’t jumped on the infographic bandwagon, it is likely that you see infographics as you scroll through social media and blogs.

Despite how widespread infographics are, there is still confusion about what exactly qualifies as an infographic.

Definition of Infographic

According to Merriam Webster dictionary, an infographic is defined as:

A chart, diagram, or illustration (as in a book or magazine, or on a website) that uses graphic elements to present information in a visually striking way.

If we go by this definition of an infographic though, then virtually all types of visual information would be considered an infographic.

Even signs like the one below would be considered an infographic.

While useful, we generally now appreciate infographics to be more detailed and complex than a simple sign.

The key term here is complex information. Hence why street signs aren’t considered infographics by modern standards.

I also like how Venture Beat defines infographic as a “Picture painted with data. Take a quick look and a story emerges from numbers. Look more closely, and a complex narrative emerges from dense clusters of information.”

Key Features of Infographics:

Goal is to make large amounts of data immediately understandable.

Information can be quickly digested.

Visually striking.

Engaging.

All Infographics Contain:

Content Almost all infographics use some text to get the message across. However, there are some infographics – such as the IKEA stick figures – which convey the message without any text.

Visuals: The visuals need to be striking and clearly convey the information.

Knowledge: The goal of an infographic is to convey information. Without knowledge, then it is just a graphic and not infographic.

IKEA’s instructions are an example of infographics without any text.

Types of Infographics

There are a lot of design and marketing agencies that have broken down infographics into types. However, it is hard to find a consensus amongst them.

As one designer points out, the breakdown of infographic types depends on how you define the different between data, information, and knowledge. These terms are highly subjective, which explains why we still don’t have a widely-agreed upon definition of infographic, nevertheless the types.

The Harvard Business Review guide Good Charts lays out four types of infographics: declarative, conceptual, exploratory, and data-driven. In this classification system, the types overlap each other, such as declarative-exploratory.

However, I prefer the simpler breakdown of infographic types by Column Five Media. They define three main infographic types: Data visualization, information design, and editorial infographics.

As a consumer,understanding the types of infographics can help you better gauge the value of the information presented.

You’ll be able to ask yourself questions like how many data sets are being presented, and is the infographic trying to elicit a response from me? Considering that infographics have long been used as a propaganda tool, this insight can help you avoid being manipulated with data.

Data Visualization Infographics

Many of the early precursors to infographics, such as line graphs and charts, are types of data visualizations. The difference is that today’s data visualizations often present huge amounts of information.

Key Features:

Illustrates numbers/amounts

Delivers information

Is objective

Usually created for a specific niche

Not narrative – focus on the numbers

Tend to be more “numbers heavy” than graphic

There is a lot of debate about the difference between an infographic and data visualization. Some would argue that they are completely different things. However, the common consensus is that data visualizations are a type of infographic, but not all infographics are data visualizations.

Example of Data Visualization Infographic

Infographic shows the relative complexity of the solar magnetic field.

Information Design Infographics

With these information design infographics, the data is not specific numbers. Rather, the data is concepts which are visualized. Some examples of these information design are timelines, how-to steps, flowcharts, comparisons, hierarchical, and anatomical illustrations.

Key Features:

Illustrates concepts rather than numbers

Include more than one set of data or info in order to tell a larger story

Typically aimed at a mass market

May not be objective

Example of Information Design Infographic

The infographic shows a concept, not a specific set of data.

Editorial Infographics

It used to be that text-based editorials were found in newspapers and magazines to supplement the objective news reporting. Now, there is a growing trend towards editorial type infographics.

Key Features:

Are not objective

Have a distinct call to action

Often used by non-profits and activist groups

Use various data sets to support viewpoint

Example of an Editorial Infographic:

An editorial infographic by PeTA

Why Infographics Are So Powerful

Long before humans invented alphabet systems, they communicated with visuals. The human brain is hardwired to process visual information, and it does it much more efficiently than it processes text information.

Shortening Attention Span

Another reason that infographics are so powerful in today’s era of the internet, is that they capture attention. Our attention spans have drastically shortened because of the constant stimulus we receive. In this era of goldfish brains, learning needs to be micro.

Infographics are one of the best ways to present huge amounts of data in small bites, thus making them a very powerful learning tool. They are also great for marketers who want to get their message across as quickly as possible. Color visuals increase comprehension, learning, and retention by over 73%. The appeal lasts: Eye tracking research on news pages has shown that 87% of people who saw an infographic also read the accompanying text, whereas only 41% read the text of a typical page with heading and text.

Shareability

The key to having content go viral is to make it shareable. Your readers see the content and believe that sharing it makes them look good. They then want to share it with their friends, coworkers, and grandparents. Visual content is 40X more likely to get shared on social media than other types of content (Buffer, 2014).

Infographic History Timeline

Prehistory and Early Civilization

We humans are visual thinkers, so it is no surprise that infographics have been around since even before civilization. The earliest examples of infographics are arguably cave paintings which many experts believe were used to communicate information about animals and hunting methods. There are also prehistoric examples of constellations maps and land maps. However, the combining of data and art didn’t develop until the 1600s.

Dunhuang star chart, dated to between 600 andn 900 AD.

1600s:

Maps had been around for long before the 17th century, but this is when the principles of measuring and marking distances as well as special geometry were laid down. As a result, we see a huge jump in the quality of maps during this century.

Christoph Scheiner is usually credited as the person responsible for making the first modern infographic. His map of sunspots was printed in 1626.

1786

The end of the 18th century in Europe was a Golden Age for sciences and arts. The date 1786 stands out as when a Scotsman named William Playfair published his work “Commercial and Political Atlas.” The work contains the first examples of a bar chart. Playfair also is credited with inventing the line, area, and pie charts.

1800s

The 1800s was the era of charts. Many government offices started using visual charts for statistical analysis. The popularity of charts led to major innovations in their types and styles.

Suddenly, we had more attractive charts as well as new types like bubble charts, contour plots, and 3d charts.

Infographic charts also started to influence history.

If it weren’t for John Snow’s 1841 cholera map (which showed cholera outbreaks linked to a common water source), he probably wouldn’t have been able to convince public officials that cholera is spread by water. Thanks to his visualization, the well pump was removed.

Cholera outbreak map

In 1860, a map of slavery influenced the course of the Civil War. By seeing which areas held slaves, the Union was able to determine which areas would fight harder to keep slavery – and which ones might switch sides.

One of the first infographics to combine multiple data sets was made in 169 by designer Charles Minard. He visualized Emperor Napoleon’s 1812 invasion of Russia, showing the number of forces, distance traveled, temperatures, and rivers crossed.

Florence Nightingale was amongst the first to use infographics for activism. Her 1858 infographic of mortality of British army was used to convince the Queen to provide better medical care for soldiers in the Crimean War.

1900s

Up until this period, infographics were mainly used to convey data within scientific circles and niche audiences. The booming 1900s found infographics being adopted by mainstream media.

People were moving to cities during this time and public transportation was getting complex. Infographics were made to help the public navigate. The first few attempts at mapping the subway systems in NYC were far from ideal. It wasn’t until 1967 that subway routes were given their own color on maps.

First NYC subway map from 1904

1990s to Early 2000s

Computers and software finally became affordable and small enough to make it into homes. Design software suddenly made it possible to visualize data quickly without having to hand-draw visualizations.

The result were infographics which were much more complex, such as network graphs, dendrograms, sunburst charts, and chord diagrams.

2000s

Now is the era we are familiar with. With the huge demand for visual content, everyone from marketers to government agencies to nonprofits have adopted infographics.

The push towards visual content also means there’s been a surge in bad infographics. It got so bad that a 2011 article in the Atlantic called the infographic trend a “plague” and “endemic in the blogosphere.”

By the end of the decade, marketers realize that they can’t make an impact simply by putting content in visual form. Consumers are demanding more to capture their attention.

The Infographic Today

Living in the information age means we are getting inundated with huge amounts of data daily. A Telegraph report found we consume the equivalent of 174 newspapers per day – which is five times more information consumed daily in 1986.

That statistic was reported in 2011. Since then, the amount of information overload has only increased.

With so much information overload, people have become very picky about what they consume. Content doesn’t even stand a chance without a visual strategy.

Thus, there is a huge push to transform content into visual form. In an article about how infographics jumped the shark, Flowing Data creator Nathan Yau comments on how infographics are replacing the blog post format.

Infographics have gotten longer to fit into the blog format. Posts that used to be long lists of favorite things and best methods have shifted to something more visual.

Infographics have grown to great lengths, quite literally. Keep scrolling..

Online users have also gotten immune to the visual pull of infographics. Without a good story throughout the infographic, people get bored.

Thus, it is no surprise that infographic design best practices include making a narrative flow. When done well, the narrative will engage consumers as they scroll down the infographic. The message is clear and there is a strong visual focus.

The final piece to pull it all together is a Call To Action or conclusion. Because, without a CTA guiding you in how to react, what was the point of consuming the infographic? Data only becomes knowledge when it can be put to use!

100+ Ways To Inspire Creative Thinking [Infographic Examples]

As a writer, I am in constant search for inspiration. Sometimes it comes to me out of the blue, but for the most part, I have to work hard for it. If only the solution were as simple as flipping a switch! Having creativity exercises on deck might just serve to unleash your creativity.

Science Behind Creativity: Why It Matters To Everyone

Creativity isn’t just for artists. Studies have shown mental and emotional health benefits to creative arts. Research even points to artistic activities preventing or delaying dementia in the elderly. Exercises that can foster creativity, like making a point to talk to 3 people every week who are totally different from you, might even help you make new friends.

In the workplace, creativity finds its roots in the right environment. Whether it’s giving employees more freedom over their schedule, adding diversity to a team, or playing games, managers have many tools to spur out of the box thinking.

21 Ways to Get Inspired

But just how do you try to find inspiration? This roadmap provides hints and tips that you can follow to unlock your creative genius. Hard work is certainly the foundation to worthwhile endeavors, and being creative requires practice as well. Your path is going to have twists and turns just like this infographic. Being open to new possibilities , as these strategies suggest, might help you through the next roadblock.

How To Be More Creative

Step-by-step guides are usually reserved for DIY projects like building a table or cleaning your car. However, here we have a guide just like that, but it’s all about igniting your creativity.

All too often, we assume creativity is a trait that we have to be born with. How to be creative is a skill that can be learned and practiced. If you don’t think that you are “naturally” creative, focus on the process, and try a few of these proven tools and strategies.

9 Simple Ways To Improve Your Creativity Infographic

The fact that creativity appears inversely related to age, may seem slightly disappointing at first. But spend 5 minutes with a 5 year old and you will see that creativity in overdrive. We were all 5 once, so that spark must still be there! It just might take a bit of work to unearth. These are tactical tools to help you get unstuck.

5 Challenges to Awaken Your Creativity

Sometimes tips, suggestions, and scientific studies just aren’t enough to spark your creative thinking. This infographic also points to the creative juices that were flowing when we were 5, but what did it come down to? 10x more questions asked and 50x more creative tasks undertaken each day as a 5 year old, vs a 44 year old.

Creativity training can be approached from both mental and physical angles, whether it’s centering your thoughts to open up the possibility of creativity, or using mental exercises. Challenging your limits with these exercises will help you flex those creative muscles.

How You’re Killing Your Own Creativity

Personally, I really like this one because it talks about both good and bad ways of creative thinking. On the road to producing creative work, we often get stuck. That creative block may be a result or our own mental blocks, whether it’s using repetitive thinking, or trying to brainstorm on no sleep. Sometimes we need a reminder of what is killing our creativity so that we can gain it back.

Figuring out what the greats have done is another way to load up on inspiration. You may not need to copy their exact schedules, but there might just be a template that works for you.

10 Scientifically Proven Facts About Creativity

To me, the idea that “all people experience moments of ‘ordinary creativity’, which permeates daily tasks”, is a fundamentally important one. If we ignore the status quo and try to be creative about everyday problems, collectively we have hope of solving seemingly insurmountable issues. Travel, vodka, and meditation also all sound like reasonable triggers to add to our lives (in reasonable quantity).

40 Ways to Stay Creative

Sometimes when we’ve run out of ideas, we need ideas to trigger ideas! Here are 40 simple things you can try, like read books, sketch more, watch films, be curious. And sometimes that is all we need; a reminder that even simple changes can spark creativity.

Most of these tactics can be practiced by anyone with the will and of course time. To dedicate yourself to creativity, you will have to make the time for it. You might find the process itself can be quite enjoyable and varied.

40 Ways To Get Rid Of Creative Block

When you feel stuck it may seem as though you have to move mountains to restart your project. It is irritating, stressful, and an overall unpleasant situation especially if you have deadlines. Having 40 tactical strategies in your toolkit increases your chances of getting out of the rut. Be crafty, try new experiences, change your environment, use that notebook. Have we left any stone unturned?

Set Your Creativity Ablaze! 7 Ways to Generate New Ideas

At the end of the day, fostering creativity in the workplace or at home starts with the right habits. These are the types of habits that you rinse and repeat regularly, setting up the foundation for even more ideas. As this infographic mentions, ideas aren’t generally plucked out of thin air but are based on known facts. By building up that knowledge via teaching, chances are you can generate well informed ideas.

Using more metaphors sounds like a novel way to practice creativity. Speaking metaphorically would certainly be an interesting way to spice up conversations (or send away someone you don’t want to speak to at a party). In general by comparing situations, even if they seem unrelated, you might find a new context to evaluate your problem.

Conclusion

There are common threads in many of these ideas. Seek inspiration both internally and externally, open yourself up to new possibilities through experiences, study what brilliant minds do, take a walk, and get enough rest.

Perhaps the first step is knowing that we all have access to tools to inspire creativity. Just remember to work for it. The goal is always to push forward, no matter how deep in the mud you’re stuck. As Jack London said, “We can’t wait for inspiration, we must go after it with a club.”

The 7 Chakras Explained In Infographics

Email. Whoosh. Facebook notification. Poke. Instagram notification. Ding. My life has become a never ending adrenaline rush of alerts, breaking up the day into fragments of cat videos, urgent chats, and pings. Finding a true retreat away from that chaos has required searching far corners of the earth for calm.

Mindfulness

Growing up in the West, venturing into Eastern philosophy hardly seems natural and may even be counterintuitive. Mindfulness, meditation, and yoga are all examples of similar practices adopted by Western culture over time.

Research has indicated a reduction in stress levels following mindfulness therapy. Instilling mindfulness even changes the brain, rivaling the effects of antidepressants in those with anxiety.

In urban areas filled with traffic and urgency, yoga studios have become a popular respite from a long day of work. Beyond straining to hold yoga poses, yoga at its highest level is a form of mindfulness meditation, listening to your own body and being present with yourself. Few beginners realize that the foundation of yoga lies in the chakras.

Chakras Defined

Chakras were first discussed 2000 years ago in Hindu texts. Each individual chakra serves as a focal point for energy within the body. In Sanskrit, Chakra actually means “wheel”, particularly fitting since the chakras amount to a network of connected energy centers throughout the body.

Blocked chakras interfere with functions of the body, leaving the body out of order and potentially causing physical or emotional imbalances.

Colors

As highly visual people here at Daily Infographic, we appreciate the color representations for each chakra. The colors mostly follow the colors of the rainbow, inspiring the gemstones that are linked to each chakra.

Having practiced long term yoga and meditation, I personally like to think of this having to do with research showing visualization techniques improving meditation. Adding colors strengthens our ability to visualize and focus.

Location and Meanings

The 7 chakras are aligned in the center of the body from the crown of the head to the pelvis. The influences those chakras have and their corresponding locations make sense intuitively. As much as we tend to think of our physical and emotional well being as separate, this system brings that relationship back together.

Top of the Head: The Crown Chakra = Consciousness

Forehead: The Third Eye = Inspiration, Intelligence

Throat: The Throat Chakra = Self expression

Lower Abdomen: The Heart Chakra = Love, relationships

Stomach:The Solar Plexus Chakra = Self confidence, ego

Lower Abdomen: The Sacral Chakra = Emotional identity, creativity

Base of the Spine: The Root Chakra = Physical identity, survival

The 7 chakras in the human body and the Get to know your chakras infographics both offer descriptions of the potential impact of a weak or blocked chakras. Reading through the list can be a bit daunting – Chakras can influence physical maladies ranging from sleep problems, swollen glands, and hearing issues to ulcers, constipation, lower back pain, and even immune disorders. Emotionally they can influence anger, self-esteem, anxiety, hopelessness, and mood swings, to name a few.

Living a life free of any of the ailments listed would be a tall order – According to WebMD nearly 80% of Americans will experience back pain at some point. With the increasing use of computers neck and shoulder pain seems increasingly common also, and professionals often try yoga to combat the pain.

Goal of Yoga

Ever caught yourself in a yoga class frustrated by the poses that require Olympic training to hold, unable to stop the thoughts racing through your head? Yoga is ultimately a practice to find inner peace, though of course many students want to benefit from the physical intensity, improving flexibility and endurance.

Few beginners actually consider the concept of opening their chakras as the basis of yoga. But yoga was created as a means of balancing the chakras, while challenging the body and mind.

What exactly does it mean to balance the chakras? We all may have been born with open chakras, but if some of them became closed or inactive, others became overactive to compensate, creating an imbalance.

Take for an example the Sacral Chakra, which is located below the belly button. It can influence emotions, pleasure, and sexuality. Problems with this chakra can cause lower back pain, digestive problems, or intimacy issues.

Pigeon pose, goddess pose, and round angle pose can all help to open this chakra. The Chakras in the Modern World infographic offers an overview of commonly used poses to open those chakras.

Even Nickelodeon has offered a simplified explanation of opening chakras:

Conclusion

Whether or not you decide to use this theory, the general idea of opening up areas of the body and stretching has a meaningful physical impact. At home you can use this 20 minute full body yoga workout guide.

I do believe in the power of the visualizing goals to achieve them. If yoga has just become something you do to tick the box, it’s worth spending some time understanding its purpose. The clarity that comes with it is breathtaking.